For many, nursing is quite a bit more than dispensing medication and charting. And for some, nursing can be a lot deeper than admitting patients and discharging them. Nursing is more enlightening than giving a bath, helping pass trays, changing a dressing or starting an IV.
For some, it is God’s work.
The capacity to nurture, comfort, motivate and heal people goes beyond the realm of most careers. Just as understanding God’s capacity to heal goes far beyond our own understanding.
Having faith to heal the sick, provide comfort to families and give hope is biblical in principle, where in the bible, healing is mentioned 139 times.
As nurses, our faith can be challenged daily as we are often called to insulate our spirituality from our profession.
As mature, professionals we must be mindful to respect our religious and faith-based differences in all of our patients as well as our peers.
The North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) defines spiritual distress as “A disruption in the life principle that pervades a person’s entire being and that integrates and transcends one’s biological and psychological nature”. Whether or not we choose to embrace this individually, our nursing curriculum was centered on addressing total patient, including the spiritual and psychosocial needs of our patients. The holistic approach is an integral part of care planning.
Rudolf Klimes, PhD, a professor at Johns Hopkins, further defines spiritual considerations in nursing by breaking them down a course he teaches regarding the subject of Spiritual Distress:
Seven Manifestations of Spiritual Distress:
Nursing diagnoses: spiritual pain, as evidenced by expressions of discomfort of suffering relative to one’s relationship with God, verbalization of feelings of having a void or lack of spiritual fulfillment, and/or a lack of peace in terms of one’s relationship to one’s creator.
Nursing diagnoses: spiritual alienation, as evidenced by expressions of loneliness or the feeling that God seems very far away and remote from one’s everyday life, verbalization that one has to depend upon one’s self in times of trial or need, and/or a negative attitude toward receiving any comfort or help from God.
Nursing diagnoses: spiritual anxiety, as evidenced by expression of fear of God’s wrath and punishment; fear that God might not take care of one, either immediately or in the future; and/or worry that God is displeased with one’s behavior.
Nursing diagnoses: spiritual guilt, as evidenced by expressions suggesting that one has failed to do the things which he should have done in life and/or done things which were not pleasing to God; articulation of concerns about the “kind” of life one has lived.
Nursing diagnoses: spiritual anger, as evidenced by expression of frustration or outrage at God for having allowed illness or other trials, comments about the “unfairness” of God, and/or negative remarks about institutionalized religion and/or its ministers or spiritual care givers.
Nursing diagnoses: spiritual loss, as evidenced by expression of feelings of having temporarily lost or terminated the love of God, fear that one’s relationship with God has been threatened, and/or a feeling of emptiness with regard to spiritual things.
Nursing diagnoses: spiritual despair, as evidenced by expressions suggesting that there is no hope of ever having a relationship with God or of pleasing Him and/or a feeling that God no longer can or does care for one.”
As we continue to provide the best care, we also promised we would assess the patient’s mind, body and soul. In addition, we must remind ourselves that dealing with faith and spirituality is a highly individualized process.